Cleat for theatrical or other portable properties.



Nb. 7s1",45i.' RATBN'I'ED JUNE 23, 1903. .v

G. s. & E. A. HALL. GLEAT FORT-HEATRIGAL OR OTHER PORTABLE PROPERTIES.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 18, 1902.

no MODEL.

Patented June 23, 1903.

FFICE.

ATENT GEORGE SAMUEL HALL AND EDWARD ALBERT HALL, OF BIRMINGHAM,

ENGLAND.

CLEAT FOR THEATRICAL OR OTHER PORTABLE PROPERTIES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 731,451, dated June23, 1903. Application filed December 18, 1902- ,Serial No. 135,773. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE SAMUEL HALL and EDWARD ALBERTHALL, subjectsof the King of Great Britain, and residents of B Summer Lane,Birmingham, in the county of Warwick, England, have invented a certainnew and useful Improvement in Cleats for Theatrical or other PortableProperties, (for which we have applied for a patent in Great Britain,No. 5,626, dated the 7th day of March, 1902,)of which the followingis aspecification;

This invention relates to improvements in cleats for theatrical andother portable properties, and has for its object in theatrical scenerywhich automatically opens into the required position for use when thescenery is in a vertical position, butcloses up flush when the scenes orother property are placed horizontall as when being acked for carriageor transport, thereby preventing the articles from damaging each otheror any object with which such articles may be packed or with which theymay come in contact, while at the same time the scenery. or otherobjects can be packed much more closely face to face than in the case ofthose having fixed projecting cleats.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and more easilycarried into practice, we have appended hereunto two sheets of drawings,upon which we have illustrated the nature of our said invention.

Figure l is a view of a cleat when fixed and open ready for use. Fig. 2is a vertical section of the cleat when open, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a cross-section through Fig. 2 on the line 1 2. Fig. 4 is a similarsection to Fig. 2, but showing the cleat when in a horizontal positionwith the face side up. Fig. 5 is a cross-section through Fig. 4; on theline 3 4.. Fig. 6 is a similar section to Fig. 4, but with the face sidedown. Fig. 7 is a crosssection through Fig. 6 on the line 5 b. Fig. 8 isan elevation of the face of the cleat. Fig. 9 is a side elevation of thecasing. Fig. 10 is a view of a modified form of cleat. Fig. 11 is asectional elevation of the top part of the cleat, showing a modificationin the pivot of lever.

In carrying this invention into effect the cleat-hook A is pivoted tothe casing B at b, the part a being made of sufficient weight to causethe hook to fall into the position with the weighted end 0,

a cleat for use shown by Fig. 1 immediately the scene to which it isattached is erected in a vertical position; but as soon as the scene ismoved into such a horizontal position that the cleat faces upward thebook A is so balanced as to fall by its own gravity into the positionshown by Fig. 4:, in which position the hook A is so contained withinthe case as to leave the face b of the cleat-case flush. The lever C ispivoted to the casing B at b and is provided the intermediate part beingso shaped that when the scenes are placed in a horizontal position, inwhich the face b of the cleat is down, the nose 0 of the weighted leverpresses against the projection a which is provided upon the reverse endof the hook A and raises the hook end until it is wholly containedwithinthe casing, as shown by Fig. 6, thereby retaining the face 6 ofthe cleat-case flush. Theweighted projection c on the lever O isprovided to retain thelower part of the lever 0 against the back of thecasing when the cleat is in the vertical position, and thus permit ofthe book A dropping freely into position;

The end of the hook A may be formed into an eye, such as illustrated byFig. 10, and the shape of the lever may be Varied and the position ofthe .pivot 19 altered, so that the hook is normally retained in a closedposition in the cleat even when vertical, in which case the nose 0 isprovided to enable the lever to be pushed back and release the book whenrequired.

Having now described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

The improvements in cleats for theatrical and other portable propertiesconsisting of a hook pivoted and balanced in a casing so as to fall intoprojection when the cleat is in a vertical position and drop into thecasing 5 when the cleat is face upward in a horizontal or inclinedposition in combination with means including a weighted lever to raisethe hook into the case when the cleat is face downward. In witnesswhereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two witnesses.

- GEORGE SAMUEL HALL.

EDWARD ALBERT HALL. Witnesses:

LEWIS W. GOULD, WALKER H. E. BARKAM.

